Honestly, I probably agree with the idea of keeping Ed over Vonleh, but for a different reason. Vonleh costing more would be an argument in his favor IMO (because it suggests that he's worth more to the team long-term), except for one other factor: Collins. If we expect Collins to be our long term answer at PF, keeping Vonleh because we expect him to be a quality starting PF seems counter-productive. Ed, however, projects to remain a backup center. With Collins as a long-term piece, Davis' role is more valuable to us going forward than Vonleh's is.
I didn't make that point but it's really what I meant. We expect Collins to be the starter I'd say. Making Vonleh the odd man out because of Caleb IMHO. Davis should be our backup C for 15-20 mins a game.
Also, you're probably right in presuming that Vonleh's return would probably be greater as well. Primary risk is that Davis is UFA whereas Vonleh is RFA, so it's conceivable that we could end up without either, leaving Meyers as the backup center. I'm willing to risk that (bandwagon still rolling!!!), but are you?
Most likely, but if he keeps doin' dat dirty work, someone might well offer him a larger role and contract than we're willing to give him.
Is there a reason, though, why Vonleh can't be our backup C over Davis moving forward? Davis doesn't have any more size than Vonleh does. Obviously, there's the question of return in trade, adn new contract, but I like a 4 man rotation of Collins, Nurk, Vonleh, and Aminu going forward.
I would say Noah (and Collins) both have the ability to switch between PF & C. I'd rather have more flexibility than less. Ed could play PF, but really he's an undersized C.
A few other random names to look at, Mario Hezonjia, who's been discussed a ton on here, but fits a Neil type of move. MKG? Doesn't help our spacing at all, but could again be a sort of buy "low" or low-ish move, if Neil sees more there than he's shown so far. Finally, Jabari Parker. I dunno why Milwaukee moves him. But, maybe they fancy themselves as contenders, or close, this season, and don't think he plays a big role in that. Maybe he's the missing piece to get them what they need?
I get that. It'd be a high risk, high reward chance. Is a 20 ppg scorer, he just needs to be on the floor. Who knows if he is ever able to stay there, however.
PG13 for Harkless/Leonard/Vonleh. CJ for Blake Griffin and Pat Bev. Dame/Bev Turner/Patty PG13/Aminu Griffin/Collins Nurk/Davis
@BonesJones Can you come up with something crazy that would get AD in Red and Black? Anthony Davis and the Pelicans were an ascending team during the 14-15 season, reaching the playoffs before being swept by the Warriors. "It feels like it's been 20 years," said Davis. Since that run, there has been a new crop of future stars that have captured the imagination of NBA fans. "I think about that all the time," Davis said. "I hear these TV shows and see social media. They say [Kristaps] Porzingis. They say Giannis [Antetokounmpo], Joel [Embiid]. And that's fine, I'll just play basketball. "But it goes back to the winning thing, too, and well, what have they won? They're in the same boat as me. I just try to go out and play and not to worry much about it. "... But it is personal. For sure, it's personal. When I play those games, they're talking about [Karl-Anthony] Towns, and they're talking about Porzingis and Giannis, and they're talking about me. Who is going to win this matchup? Who's going to win this game? I absolutely take it more personally." Davis realizes that winning is what matters most in terms of how his career is defined. "Winning. That's it. That's how you're judged," he said. "You can score, you can dominate. You can do whatever. But they calculate everything off winning. You know that. I know that. Everybody in the league knows that. I hear it all the time: 'Anthony is a good player, but he hasn't won anything. He's not a winner. He hasn't been to the playoffs in two years.' "It bothers me. You know you're doing everything in your power to try and win. Playing through injuries, playing a ton of minutes, diving on the floor, but you just can't come up with enough wins to go to the playoffs. And it isn't enough just going to the playoffs. You want to make noise. You want to be a threat. "People judge you. For DeMarcus and me, this is the time. The time is now." Davis is in the second season of a five-year, $127 million contract that expires in 2021. Davis has been patient with the Pelicans and is comfortable with its market-size, but he also realizes they lack the depth and developing young talent to compete at a title level. "You look at the Warriors, Cleveland, Boston," he said. "They lose Gordon [Hayward], they're still playing well. KD-Steph-Draymond-Klay. They play so well with each other. They move the basketball. They don't care who scores. Steph and Draymond are out, and they still won. KD is out. They still win. "That's the way the league is now. I don't see anyone winning without three or four All-Stars. ... I was in the [MVP] conversation in my third year, and we didn't win. We went to the playoffs, got swept, and I dropped out of all that so fast. It's about winning. You can have all the numbers in the world, but you better win. That's what it is. This whole league, everything is about winning. Every award. Everything. It's all about winning."
Davis would cost us something like CJ, Vonleh, and a first. I'd honestly just rather develop Collins. And I'm not against trading CJ.
If that deal would be accepted by New Orleans, I think you do it in a heartbeat. Start ET and Aminu at the wings and roll with a Lillard/Davis/Nurk big 3, still developing Collins as the primary backup big. Man, I can't overstate how stoked I would be about that squad.
http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/...-great-big-trade-obsession-adrian-wojnarowski Trade CJ with anyone else (not Dame) & draft picks for Anthony Davis!
The piece makes it pretty clear that the Pelicans have no interest in dealing the Brow, and that Boston would be a much more likely suitor for him anyway. But I completely agree with the sentiment; just not holding my breath.
Honestly the unibrow didn't drop out of favor because of being swept in the playoffs...he dropped out of favor because he couldn't stay on the court...he's had a ton of injuries and bad health for the last few seasons
